Use of Thermography to Evaluate Alternative Crops for Off-Season in the Cerrado Region

• Published in: Plants (Basel) Vol. 12; no. 11; p. 2081
• Main Authors: Silva, Alberto do Nascimento, Ramos, Maria Lucrecia Gerosa, Ribeiro Junior, Walter Quadros, da Silva, Patrícia Carvalho, Soares, Guilherme Filgueiras, Casari, Raphael Augusto das Chagas Noqueli, de Sousa, Carlos Antonio Ferreira, de Lima, Cristiane Andrea, Santana, Charles Cardoso, Silva, Antonio Marcos Miranda, Vinson, Chistina Cleo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 24.05.2023; MDPI
• Subjects: Agricultural industry; Agricultural production; Alternative crops; Amaranth; Amaranthus cruentus; Animal behavior; Availability; Beans; Brazil; Buckwheat; Canopies; Carbon dioxide; Carbon dioxide concentration; Chenopodium quinoa; Chlorophyll; Climate change; Climate prediction; Crop identification; Crop production; Crop yield; Crop yields; Crops; Design of experiments; Drought; Droughts; Efficiency; Evaluation; Experimental design; Fagopyrum esculentum; Gas exchange; Growth; Hardiness; Influence; Leaves; Phaseolus vulgaris; Photosynthesis; Physiological aspects; Physiology; Plant species; Plants; Productivity; Quinoa; Rain; Rain and rainfall; Rainfall; Scientific equipment and supplies industry; Seasons; Temperature; Thermal imaging; Thermography; Thermography (Copying process); United States; Unmanned aerial vehicles; Water availability; Water regimes; Water resources management; Water stress; Water use; Brazil; United States; Fagopyrum esculentum; thermography; gas exchange; Amaranthus cruentus; Phaseolus vulgaris; Chenopodium quinoa
• ISSN: 2223-7747; 2223-7747
• DOI: 10.3390/plants12112081

Future predictions due to climate change are of decreases in rainfall and longer drought periods. The search for new tolerant crops is an important strategy. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of water stress on the physiology and productivity of crops with potential for growing in the off-season period in the Cerrado, and evaluate correlations with the temperature of the canopy obtained by means of thermography. The experiment was conducted under field conditions, with experimental design in randomized blocks, in a split-plot scheme and four replications. The plots were: common bean ( ; amaranth ( ); quinoa ( ); and buckwheat ( ). The subplots were composed of four water regimes: maximum water regime (WR 535 mm), high-availability regime (WR 410 mm), off-season water regime (WR 304 mm) and severe water regime (WR 187 mm). Under WR 304 mm, the internal concentration of CO and photosynthesis were reduced by less than 10% in amaranth. Common bean and buckwheat reduced 85% in photosynthesis. The reduction in water availability increased the canopy temperature in the four crops and, in general, common bean was the most sensitive species, while quinoa had the lowest canopy temperatures. Furthermore, canopy temperature correlated negatively with grain yield, biomass yield and gas exchange across all plant species, thus thermal imaging of the canopy represents a promising tool for monitoring crop productivity for farmers, For the identification of crops with high water use management for research.